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More spokes more... power?

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Old 12-28-17, 11:10 AM
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More spokes more... power?

I have a friend that said to me once. "More spokes means more stiff because if the structure and integrity. More means less energy is loss, and much better for the streets"

Now I researched some on the net. And said it's just a myth it's just about the tension of the spokes.But you guys who has thousand of thousand miles under those cranks.

The question Is there a difference between more spokes like 32/32 to 24/20 in terms of power,aero and durability. (Btw I don't care about the weight cause it's just grams) whether inside the velodrome or in the streets
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Old 12-28-17, 11:12 AM
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I have a friend that said to me once. "More spokes means more stiff because of its structure and integrity. means less energy is loss, and much better for the streets"

Now I researched some on the net. And said it's just a myth it's just about the tension of the spokes.But you guys who has thousand of thousand miles under those cranks.

The question Is there a difference between more spokes like 32/32 to 24/20 in terms of power,aero and durability. (Btw I don't care about the weight cause it's just grams) whether inside the velodrome or in the streets
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Old 12-28-17, 12:31 PM
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Whichever wheel is less elastic is transmitting more power. But a wheel with more spokes isn't automatically stiffer than a lower spoke wheel - the way it is laced is also a factor.

AND, even flex in a wheel isn't necessarily lost power. If the wheel is acting as a spring, that energy isn't going to be lost and will likely still end up getting used.


But it certainly doesn't sound crazy to say that a structure made of more stuff is going to transmit force better than one made of less stuff. It's just that the low spoke wheel may meet a threshold below which it just doesn't matter.
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Old 12-28-17, 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Kontact
It's just that the low spoke wheel may meet a threshold below which it just doesn't matter.
This is the main thing. If the 20 spoke wheel is good enough to meet your needs, then it doesn't matter if the 32 spoke wheel is stiffer. Application is a factor too. On a long road ride, having ultra stiff high-spoke count wheels could actually work against you. On the other hand, if your goal is to solely put out massive wattage over a very short time (i.e. track sprinting), then you'll want the stiffest rig you can get.
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Old 12-28-17, 04:25 PM
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The problem is if/when you break a spoke out on the road. With 32/36 spokes you can afford to lose one and keep on going. With the low spoke count wheels you're out of business... wheel goes too far out of true to roll. There will be no power transfer then.
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Old 12-28-17, 04:36 PM
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^ Agreed. The most flexible wheel I've ever seen was still far stiffer than even the highest pressure tire. Energy losses in the wheel are dominated by the tread and sidewalls of the tires so it's not really a consideration in deciding on spoke count. The spoke count is a factor in trading off reliability/durability against light weight and aerodynamics.
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Old 12-28-17, 05:56 PM
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Originally Posted by SuperPershing
I have a friend that said to me once. "More spokes means more stiff because of its structure and integrity. means less energy is loss, and much better for the streets"

Now I researched some on the net. And said it's just a myth it's just about the tension of the spokes.But you guys who has thousand of thousand miles under those cranks.

The question Is there a difference between more spokes like 32/32 to 24/20 in terms of power,aero and durability. (Btw I don't care about the weight cause it's just grams) whether inside the velodrome or in the streets
Duh, more spokes = more drags = more watts to expense.

32/32 vs 20/24, the lower one simple rolls faster in the same power input

Durability? its depends, how much your total weights? 32/32 is overkill for my range, I rode with 16/24 and never ever got wheels taco, its still round and true even I bombed it a lot.

You must ask yourself why you need 32 in the first place? are you heavy? if yeah, so yeah go for 32, you will have nice wheels that last 100 years.

But for me, its overkill and ......... drags.
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Old 12-28-17, 06:02 PM
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Also, keep in mind that you won't experience windup with the rear. So, there would not be much of an argument to not drop to say 16 spokes on the front. Lateral Flex?
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Old 12-28-17, 06:04 PM
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In a word --------- NO.

There's no correlation of any kind. First of all more spokes doesn't automatically mean a stiffer wheel, because gauge and pattern play into that.

Second, there's no correlation between wheel stiffness and power lost. The amount of power lost within the wheel is negligeable, and whatever correlation there was would probably work against the stiffer wheel.

So, it's just one more mythconception.
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Old 12-28-17, 06:26 PM
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Old 12-28-17, 11:26 PM
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This forum is on fire lately.
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Old 12-29-17, 02:50 AM
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Thank you guys for the answer and for the new informations! really appreciate it! -w-
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Old 12-29-17, 02:51 AM
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im a 50kg guy 5'10 on a H Plus Son Acrhetype 32/32 Novatec.
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Old 12-29-17, 04:29 AM
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Originally Posted by SuperPershing
im a 50kg guy 5'10 on a H Plus Son Acrhetype 32/32 Novatec.
Is there a typo?

5'10" and 110#s sounds severely underweight, and more like someone who's been starved for weeks.
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Old 12-29-17, 06:20 AM
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That does seem pretty light, and I'm skinny as well (6'1" and usually around 150lbs). At any rate, doesn't sound like you need to worry about spoke count.
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Old 12-29-17, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by seau grateau
That does seem pretty light, and I'm skinny as well (6'1" and usually around 150lbs).
Man, you are just skin and bones ! Move to Texas and we’ll fatten you up.
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Old 12-29-17, 02:37 PM
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Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
Man, you are just skin and bones ! Move to Texas and we’ll fatten you up.
I always feel like people who say this are just trying to sandbag me on climbs.
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Old 12-29-17, 02:55 PM
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At 110lbs, I'd be wondering if all those extra spokes were slowing me down...
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Old 12-30-17, 03:34 AM
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Yup I'm really underweight. It's just how my body works even if I eat like a sumo wrestler I will always look like this. I inherited this to my father. But still 48x15!
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Old 12-31-17, 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by SuperPershing
Yup I'm really underweight. It's just how my body works even if I eat like a sumo wrestler I will always look like this. I inherited this to my father. But still 48x15!
Do you want to trade metabolisms? Mine just shut down so all the food I eat just goes to my gut.
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Old 12-31-17, 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Scrodzilla
This forum is on fire lately.
As much as I hate to agree with this guy about anything - in this case...


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